NCC Pledges Regulatory Transparency, Best Practices
BY GLORIA USMAN, ABUJA – The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) says there will be no compromise maintaining high ethical standards in all its regulatory activities for effective service delivery in the nation’s telecommunications sector.
According to the Commission, every measure taken will be fully consistent with the Federal Government’s efforts at entrenching the culture of accountability and transparency in all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Professor Umar Danbatta, stated this at the inauguration of NCC’s Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit (ACTU) by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on Thursday in Abuja.
Approved by the Federal Government as an in-house mechanism for corruption prevention within MDAs, ACTU is the ICPC’s initiative set in line with global best practices of building strong institutions and institutionalising good governance in the fight against corruption.
Danbatta, represented by Director of Legal and Regulatory Services, Josephine Amuwa, said the ICPC recently attested to NCC’s high ethical standards and professionalism as evident in the 2020 ICPC Ethics and Compliance Scorecard (IECS) report, which placed the Commission ahead of other agencies in ratings.
He said ICPC’s verdict also lends credence to the 2017 report of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR)-piloted Self-Assessment Tool (SAT) deployed in MDAs, where the NCC came off with a Platinum Level (Exceptional) award, a level 5 organization, the highest rating possible under the BPSR Assessment.
Noting that NCC will continue to identify corruption-prone processes, practices and procedures within the system as part of measures to institutionalize compliant and corruption-free processes, Danbatta said the Commission’s efforts are focused on prevention through defined standard operating procedures and adherence to public service rules, circulars, and guidelines, among others.
“The ACTU is a very important initiative of the government to combat corruption in MDAs and the Commission recognizes this fact as well as the role of ACTU in this regard,” the NCC boss said.
He urged the Commission’s ACTU members to take their responsibilities seriously, adding that the Management will accord the team all necessary support to deliver on its mandate of combating corruption through prevention, education and enforcement.
While inaugurating the NCC’s ACTU members, Chairman of ICPC, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, said the Unit is expected to effectively carry out its assigned functions, including conducting systems study and review of processes and procedures of NCC towards making appropriate recommendations at blocking all noticeable corruption loopholes.
According to him, the Unit is also required to conduct continuous sensitization of staff on the ills of corruption; implement code of ethics; conduct corruption risk assessment; and preliminary investigations into complaints received among others.
Owasanoye further said ICPC recognises the NCC’s contributions in regulating and creating an enabling environment that gives telecom consumers universal access to affordable and equitable service as well as support to the nation’s economic growth.
“I also commend the efforts of the management of NCC in ensuring high compliance with ethical and integrity standards as seen from the result scored by NCC in the 2020 deployment of the Ethics and Compliance Scorecard (81.15%)”, he added.
In his remarks, Director of Human Capital and Administration, who doubles as the ACTU Chairman at NCC, Usman Malah pledged ACTU members’ commitment to be sincere; of good character; exhibit positive attributes; and be dedicated in the discharge of their duties.
“We shall be fully prepared for the responsibilities of the Unit. We would be impartial, transparent and guided by relevant laws in discharging the mandate of the Unit. As a microcosm of the ICPC in the NCC, the Unit will continue to complement the laudable efforts of the ICPC in the fight against corruption in government and the country at large,” Malah said.
